Overview
Who do you think of first when you consider who is running our skilled nursing facilities? Is it our administrators, nurses, or CNAs? How about the housekeeping and laundry teams…maybe not? They often work quietly and efficiently in the background but are incredibly important and very much appreciated by fellow employees and residents in our facilities. These teams ensure our buildings and the individual rooms of our residents are clean and comfortable. They also ensure the residents have clean clothing to wear each day. Katie Sines, from Lincoln Care Center in Shoshone, ID and Shelly Graham from Sunny Ridge Center in Nampa, ID were interviewed about the responsibilities and rewards of this career. Keep reading to learn more about the important role the Director of Housekeeping and Laundry plays in our facilities.
Day in the Life
One of the main responsibilities of the job role is to build and maintain relationships with those who live and work in their buildings. The Director of Housekeeping and Laundry attends daily stand-up meetings with other leaders in the building and must be a clear communicator with the team to effectively accomplish their objectives. They also pass along information gained at meetings to their team of employees.
Building strong relationships with residents is also an important aspect of the role. Leaders in this position are often expected to attend and address concerns at resident council meetings. Shelly shared that she believes the best part of her job is “establishing relationships with our residents to have open communication, so they can come to me with any and all needs, or just to chat.”
Leaders in this position are also responsible for performing a regular supply inventory and ordering necessary supplies. It is crucial to have the correct supplies because only specific products can be used in our facilities. Some of the building cleaning tasks are even handled by the Director themselves. Katie shared: “housekeeping helps keep pests away and out of their rooms. Housekeeping is also important in ensuring clutter on the floor is kept to a minimum for resident safety.” Our buildings literally could not function without our dedicated housekeeping teams!
Resident health and safety is a top concern to the leaders of our buildings. Cleanliness in a skilled nursing facility is also at the top of most everyone else’s radar who steps foot into our buildings. This is especially true as we are still following strict COVID guidelines even if the rest of the world is not. As a result, Directors of Housekeeping and Laundry are technically always on call 24/7, 365 days out of the year. It is their responsibility to ensure the employees in their department are meeting their responsibilities and deadlines, while performing their tasks as efficiently as possible.
Did you know that most residents have their laundry washed by our employees and not their family members? Our laundry teams must work quickly and efficiently to ensure our residents always have clean clothes to wear and a selection to choose from. They must also be organized so resident items do not go missing or go back to the wrong person after they are sent to the laundry.
A Rewarding Career
Both Katie and Shelly enjoy their career choice. Katie points out “I like that my job is physical in nature, it helps keep me moving and motivated. While the cleaning is routine, the days always provide something different. I also enjoy getting to know our residents better.”
One thing is for certain, the cleaning and laundry teams at skilled nursing facilities never go unappreciated. While housekeeping employees in other industries may feel overlooked for their efforts, this is not the case in our industry. Residents, visitors, and fellow employees often notice and recognize our housekeeping and laundry teams for their efforts.
The Many Roles in Our Facilities
Each role in a skilled nursing facility is there for a reason. One thing is for sure, each of these roles is crucial and they all fit together to help our residents recover and feel cared for throughout the duration of their stay. Please follow along this blog series as I dive into each of the roles that exist in our facilities so you can learn more about how our employees positively impact the lives of our residents!